Perspectives in medical education - 4. A "global" dimension to reform at Keio University

Keio University School of Medicine is awakening to the realization that it will achieve international recognition as a center of excellence in medical education and healthcare only by inculcating clinical skills and critical thinking in its medical graduates. A new "global" perspective identifies the traditional failure of Japanese medical education to provide its graduates with clinical skills training as the root cause of a number of deficiencies. These include (i) the reluctance of Japanese medical graduates to seek global experience; (ii) the absence of interest in the global healthcare marketplace for Japanese medical graduates as potential recruits; (iii) the failure to incorporate globally accepted innovations, like problem-based learning, in Japanese medical education; (iv) the failure to follow globally accepted standards of clinical practice in Japan; (v) the lack of instruction in general internal medicine in Japan; and (vi) the neglect of evidence-based medicine in Japanese healthcare practice. Keio University is embarking on an ambitious effort that commits both the will and resources necessary to reform medical education at Keio in accordance with global norms. The initiatives currently underway include (i) incorporating PBL into the curriculum to foster active learning, (ii) implementing measures to promote interactive teaching techniques among the faculty, and (iii) granting recognition to teachers through new promotion policies. Wider implementation of these initiatives across the country will enable Japanese healthcare and Japanese physicians to occupy their rightful place of respect in the global healthcare market, comparable to the widespread international recognition given to Japanese medical researchers.